I’d like to share with you the first chapter from my MG book, The
Adventures of Captain Cranky – The King’s Treasure. It’s a humorous story about
a pirate who’s seeking his fortune and beginning to realise the
consequences of being angry all the time. I’m currently sending the book out to
publishers while I finish the sequel. Let me know what you think in the
comments section.
1
The Spiteful was in pursuit of a merchant vessel that was desperately trying to get
away, but The Spiteful was slowly
gaining.
Standing on The
Spiteful’s 175-foot-long wooden deck, was the angriest pirate who ever sailed the high seas. His name was Captain Cranky.
Cranky had a carefully-braided, long red beard and an
eye patch covered his right eye. His black tricorn hat had a skull and cross
bones and was adorned with a white feather. His knee-length red coat was well
worn. It had an orange and yellow flamed trim, which also lined the coat cuffs.
Underneath the coat was a ruffled white shirt. A grey pant leg was tucked into
the scuffed black boot on his right side. On his left side Cranky wore a wooden
peg leg, which had several dents in it. Around his lean waist he wore a belt
adorned with a large gold buckle. A blunderbuss was tucked into one side of the
belt and his cutlass was sheathed on the other. Cranky was scowling at his crew
and shook his right hook at them.
“Don’t let that ship get away!” he yelled. “Remember,
no prey, no pay!”
Cranky looked up at the scrawny figure in the crow’s
nest. Above the man’s waist was the only part of him that was visible. He was
wearing a red bandana and a dirty white shirt. The pirate was looking through
his spyglass and poking his tongue out at the sailor in the merchant vessel’s
crow’s nest.
“Corvus, stop messin’ about!” yelled Cranky. “What are
they up t’?”
Corvus adjusted his spyglass then lowered it. “Cap’n,
they be dumpin’ cargo.”
“They reckon they’ll go faster with less weight,” said
Cranky. “Dumpin’ some of their cargo won’t help them, we’ll still catch them.”
The
Spiteful was capable of reaching speeds of up
to 11 knots, so it was the perfect ship to use in a pursuit.
Captain Cranky turned to his navigator, Mr Turney. Mr
Turney was pencil thin and was wearing a red and white striped shirt. On his
big ears were several earrings.
“Watch that cross wind, Mr Turney. Steady as she
goes.”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n!”
Cranky turned to the young man who was standing next
to him. He had blue eyes and wavy shoulder-length hair, which was
sandy-coloured. He was wearing a white shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves.
His blue shorts were frayed at the bottom and he was barefoot. Around his neck
hung a shark tooth from a piece of string.
“Sam, I wants ye t’ go below deck.”
Sam pressed his lips together and his eyes narrowed.
“But Captain, I’m the first mate. I think I’d be better use up here.”
Cranky shook his hook at him. “Avast! I won’t tolerate
insubordination, Sam Seaworth!”
Sam clenched his hands to fists and yelled, “I can
handle myself!”
“’Ave ye finished?”
Sam took a few deep breaths and then said, “Yes.”
Cranky cupped his hand around his ear. “I didn’t hear
ye?”
Sam rolled his eyes and let out a loud sigh. “I’m not
saying ‘aye’, it’s not natural for me.”
“Are ye a pirate or not?”
“Of course I am,” Sam immediately shot back.
Cranky frowned, shook his head and said, “Go below
deck, I’ll call ye when I needs ye.”
Sam stormed off, muttering to himself, and then Cranky
noticed The Spiteful begin to turn
slightly to the right. He glared at Mr Turney. “I told ye t’ watch those cross
winds!” he growled. “Keep us steady or we won’t catch that ship.”
“Sorry cap’n,” he replied, turning the wheel and
correcting the ship’s course.
Cranky watched the merchant vessel for a while longer
and then turned his attention to his crew. They were loading cannons, climbing
the rigging and seemed the most excited he’d seen them in a long time.
Cranky began to walk across the deck and give the men
words of encouragement. He remembered Sam had told him it was better than
yelling at them, but it was difficult at times to control his anger.
While Cranky spoke to his crew he took a brief moment
to admire his ship. The Spiteful was
a two-masted Brigantine, with a fore-and-aft triangular shaped mainsail. It
also had two smaller square-shaped topsails. The skull and crossbones on the
black sails were different than most ships. The skull looked like it was
yelling. Its mouth was open and the eye sockets were shaped like a frown.
“We’ve been through a lot together,” he said patting
the mainsail’s mast.
Cranky continued walking toward the forecastle, which
was the upper part of the deck closest to the front of the ship. When Cranky
arrived he noticed some Capuchin monkeys were climbing the rigging and chasing
each other. The small monkeys were brown, but the colour around their face was
white. All of the monkeys were wearing nappies.
Cranky could no longer control his temper. He scowled
at them and yelled, “Mr Burroughs, there be some powder monkey’s that are
neglectin’ their duties. They supposed t’ be supplyin’ th’ cannons with
gunpowder, not runnin’ amok on first deck!”
There was no response and no sign of Mr Burroughs.
Cranky turned to a lanky pirate standing nearby. There were over one hundred
crewmembers on board and Cranky couldn’t remember this one’s name.
“Mr… um… pirate, I’m goin’ t’ find Mr Burroughs. See
if ye an’ some of th’ other men can get some of those monkeys t’ come down
while I’m gone.”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n.”
Cranky walked over to a ladder and began to climb down
to the second deck. When he arrived he was greeted with a chaotic scene. Some
of the monkeys were throwing gunpowder around and jumping on top of the
cannons, screeching. There was also a rancid stench and Cranky tried to wave it
away with his hand.
“Mr Burroughs, where are ye?” yelled Cranky, but there
was no response. He walked down to the back of the ship where the galley was
located. Plaited garlic, onions and various cured meats were hanging from the
roof. In the middle of the kitchen was a small preparation table with a stack
of dirty dishes on it. There was also onion goggles next to a chopped-up onion.
Various barrels and sacks of food were piled against the walls. Behind the
table was the ship’s chef, Grub. He was a large man with a puffy face and
short, black greasy hair. Grub was constantly sweating, wiping away what drips he
did catch with his hand. He was wearing a stained apron which read, ‘Bakin’
Boss’.
Grub had
just prepared some dough, made with flour, water and a pinch of salt. He
was forming the dough into three-inch squares.
Cranky knocked on the entrance and said, “Ahoy Grub,
'ave ye seen Mr Burroughs?”
“Sorry, Cap’n, can nah say that I 'ave. I’m makin’
some hard tack biscuits, do ye want some? Got some broth around here ye can dip
em into, so ye don’t hurt yer teeth.”
Cranky shook his head. “I don’t have time t’ eat any.
Besides, some of them 'ave weevils in em.”
Grub
shuffled nervously. “I um… added them fer flavour,” he said, breaking out into
a large grin. “Good protein.”
Cranky
glared at Grub and said, “Clean up yer kitchen, or ye’ll walk th’ plank.”
“Aye,
aye, Cap.”
Cranky left Mr Grub and climbed down to the third
deck. The monkeys were running around there too.
“Where be that gunner?” growled Cranky, looking from
side to side. “Mr Burroughs, are ye here?”
Mr Burroughs head and upper body soon popped up from
the fourth deck, right behind Cranky. Mr Burroughs was stocky and
barrel-shaped. He had a short, muscular neck and a large, broad, flattened
head. His face was covered in brown facial hair and his front two teeth stuck
out prominently.
“I be here, Cap’n!”
Cranky jumped and then turned around and looked down
at Mr Burroughs, fixing him with a fierce stare.
“I’ve told ye not t’ pop up right behind me like
that!” Cranky growled. “What are ye doin’?”
“I’m tryin’ t’ round up some powder monkeys that ran
down here.”
“Well, hurry up! We be closin’ in on th’ merchant
vessel an’ I needs all of th’ cannons ready.”
There was a loud crash that came from the fourth deck.
“Blimey! What was that?” Cranky asked.
Mr Burroughs ducked and then his head popped up a
short time later. “Nothin’ to um… worry about, Cap’n.”
“Avast! If ye don’t get th’ powder monkeys under
control, ye’ll be walkin’ th’ plank!” yelled Cranky. “Savvy?”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n.”
Cranky climbed the ladder back to the first deck and
then said, “Has anybody seen Captain Kook? He best be here givin’ us some
aerial support.”
Corvus held his spyglass to his eye, had a good look
around and soon spotted him. “Kook’s north east of us, he be catchin’ fish.”
“He always picks th’ most inappropriate times t’ go
fishin’,” said Cranky. “I swear, when I get me hands on that bird I’m goin’ t’
turn 'im into a feather duster!”
Cranky was walking back to talk to Mr Turney when
Corvus yelled, “Cap’n, we may 'ave a problem? Th’ merchant vessel be headin’
toward th’ Nail Islands.”
The Nail Islands were a group of about thirty small
islands made out of limestone. They were stretched out wider at the top than at
the bottom. Most were at least twenty meters tall and had no land access.
Dotted vegetation grew on them. They were spread out enough so that a ship
could sail in between them and lose a pursuing ship, who could easily make a
wrong turn.
Cranky strode back to Mr Turney and said, “We needs t’
go faster, we can nah let them reach th’ safety of th’ islands.”
As Cranky watched the merchant vessel, he began to
feel increasingly nervous. He hoped The
Spiteful would be able to catch it before it escaped.
